Blackcurrant & Pistachio Friands

INGREDIENTS
  • 190g unsalted butter, chopped. Plus, extra 10g for greasing, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 60g raw, unsalted pistachios. Plus, extra 10g finely chopped for sprinkling on top
  • 60g almond meal
  • 220g icing sugar
  • 60g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 5 egg whites, approx. 160g total weight
  • 100g Bonne Maman Blackcurrant Conserve
  • Chopped pistachios and icing sugar for serving
METHOD
  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius, fan-forced (180 degrees Celsius, conventional) and grease 2 x 6-hole friand pans with melted butter, dust with flour tapping out any excess over the sink.
  2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir through vanilla. Set aside.
  3. Place the pistachios into a small food processor and blitz until a fine crumb forms, like the texture of the almond meal.
  4. Sift icing sugar into a large bowl, followed by the flour. Add the pistachio and almond meals and whisk to combine. Set bowl aside.
  5. Pour egg whites into a medium bowl and lightly whisk to break them up a little.
  6. Pour the melted butter into the dry ingredients, followed by the egg whites and stir well to combine.
  7. Spoon the batter into the friand pans, coming about ¼ of the way up each hole. Place ½ tsp of conserve on top, and using a skewer or toothpick, swirl conserve into batter. Spoon remaining batter on top, smoothing out to cover conserve.
  8. Scatter chopped pistachios over the top of each one and place into the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating trays if need be. Once the friands are ready, they should be golden, and spring back when lightly pressed, or when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  9. Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before running a smooth-edged butter knife or palette knife around the edges of each friand, levering each one out gently and placing them onto a cooling rack.
  10. When ready to serve, dust with icing sugar, dot each one with another ½ tsp of conserve, and sprinkle over chopped pistachios, if desired.

These friands are enjoyed best on the day of baking, however, they do keep for at least 3 days in an airtight container. They also freeze well.